


Secret Paradises

by callmeflo



Series: if Wishes were Irises [7]
Category: Those Who Went Missing
Genre: Gen, Monthly Prompt, don’t poke your nose through unknown portals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-08-03 14:56:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16328177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/callmeflo/pseuds/callmeflo
Summary: Flicker weighs nothing but still the floors creak in protest as she enters.





	Secret Paradises

It’s late autumn. The leaves coating the ground have turned to brown sludge, mashed into the stodgy, muddy earth by car tyres and animal feet, and pretty flower gardens have died off leaving dull brown foliage that wilts under the relentless rainfall. Too late for the spectrum of red and yellow leaves and yet too early for the sweet scented morning frost, it’s that short time of year where humans stay cozy and content in front of the fireplace, awaiting the pure white snowfall that heralds winter and their annual celebration.

For an esk, unbothered by the mud that can’t cling to their incorporeal fur and with their spirit connected to every part of nature’s life cycle, it is just another day of animals foraging for the last pieces of their hibernation hoards and plants dropping their seed pods to ready new life for the next spring.

Flicker, her coat a rich brown speckled with gold mica on her back, stands out even in this miserable landscape as she picks her way delicately along forgotten paths. The track was once used by carriages and the odd old fashioned car but is now well overgrown, leaving just two parallel lines of bare dirt overhung with uncut grasses and blocked by the occasional fallen branch. It winds through the countryside, mostly farmland, meadow, and some clusters of trees along hedgerows, leading to an ancient manor house.

Her favourite thing about nature is its ability to survive, to burst back into life after years of being stifled beneath the footsteps of people. The determined little plants can change even the creepiest abandoned places into secret paradises, with beautiful fungi and delicate nests and blooming flowers in the dark. She has fond feelings for abandoned human settlements, stemming from the early days after her own boundary was left behind, and enjoys exploring the forsaken wonders of the world.

She can see the large building from acres away, but the captivating details become clearer as she approaches. The sprawling lawns are unkept, the flower beds wild and unruly and breaking out from their cobblestone borders, and the house itself has grown a fair layer of ivy. The once spotless paintwork is patchy with moss and grime, the extravagant entranceway now rotten, crumbling steps up to a peeling door that hangs lopsided in its frame. There are more broken windows than not, with shutters barely hanging on - they haven’t even been boarded up. The roof is caving in at its highest peak and allowing the elements into the interior.

Flicker weighs nothing but still the floors creak in protest as she enters. A great golden iris forms at her wither as the sign of human development sparks her power, and its splayed petals brush the dusty walls as she walks. The wooden bangles that are suddenly adorning her forelegs clink against each other with every step.

The ceiling has rotted through from the years of rainfall and lays in a mess of sharp pieces to her right, illuminated by the large skylight. When she raises her head to look through the hole, a disfigured gargoyle scowls back at her. Flicker retreats to the next room.

Two walls of the ornamental lounge have been dotted with graffiti, sprayed inks of varying colours looping together to create a meaningless masterpiece to replace the fallen painting that rests in two pieces on the soggy carpet. The chairs are leaking stuffing from many holes and scratches caused by the wildlife who have taken the home for themselves. Above her, a rusted chandelier sways ever so slightly.

The dreary weather outside fits the manor perfectly, the lack of sunlight greying the atmosphere and the heavy mist hanging in the air giving out an eerie vibe.

The grand staircase has a gaping hole half way up, but Flicker leaps across with minimal effort, not disturbing the weak wood at all. The banister is covered in lichens and a trailing plant that has entered a shattered window looks determined to reach every corner of the house. In the first floor hallway, a vase is laying, smashed, on the floor beside a wonky three-legged table, and the hardwood flooring is mouldy with mildew.

The door on Flicker’s left is closed and locked but the bottom corner has been scratched at and broken away. She is just able to squeeze herself through, dragging her hind legs and long tail as she wriggles in, though her bedraggled iris doesn’t appreciate it. Inside is the largest area yet, with every wall stacked with towering shelves of books. They look in bad condition, damp and wind blown a hundred times over, but most still stand in their places, alphabetically ordered by author. Some have been pushed to the floor to make room for nesting creatures, and then shredded for bedding or left in crumpled heaps. There are also smaller stacks on the table and various stools, disordered and toppled by the wind and trespassers.

On the far side of the room, a tree has managed to sprout on a sodden rug and has wound its way up to the hole in the ceiling, where it’s top branches are just beginning to escape. In a hollow of its trunk is a little glimmering light that Flicker can’t tear her eyes from. She silently drifts closer and tilts her head, curly mane ruffling, and noses at the lock of brightly coloured hair that dangles out.

A surprised shriek pierces the quiet midday air and from the hollow flies a dainty little esk with a clump of leaves fluttering on their rump. They scramble down the rough bark, wind between Flicker’s paws, and skid to an empty bookshelf - where they dive into the wall with a burst of magic and disappear.

Flicker, startled too, can only stare for a second before finally rushing forward to the shadow that swallowed the other esk. A faint trickle of magic remains, about to swirl into nothingness - she leans forward and presses her nose in before it can.

With a burst of white light and the feeling of being displaced without moving a single paw, Flicker suddenly finds herself in a whole other world.

**Author's Note:**

> Base Score: 20 AP (Writing: 1029 words)  
> +10 AP (Monthly Prompt)  
> +1 AP (Accessory: 1 AP * 1)  
> +5 AP (Personal Work Bonus)  
> +8 AP (Storyteller Bonus: 8 AP * 1)  
> Total AP per submission: 44
> 
> Base Score: 10 GP (Writing: 1029 words)  
> +1 GP (Monthly Prompt)  
> +1 GP (Accessory: 1 GP * 1)  
> +6 GP (Storyteller Bonus: 6 GP * 1)  
> Total GP per submission: 18


End file.
